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UNITED STATES ATENT Fries. v

VALTER J. HAMMOND AND JOHN GORDON, OF RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL.

RAILROAD-SPIKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 451,859, dated May 5,1891.

Application iiled July 29, 1890. Serial No. 360,267. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.:

Beit known that we, WALTER J. HAMMOND,

a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, and JOHN GORDON, a citizen ofthe United States, at presentresiding at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, haveinvented anew and Improved Railroad- Spike, of which the followingis afull, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedrailroad-spike which is simple in construction, securely holds the railsin place on the sleeper, and permits of a progressive driving in caseitbecomes loose in a sleeper.

The invention consists of a spike provided with a head having a bevelededge provided with a series of steps adapted to successively engage theedge of the base of the rail when the spike is driven Jfarther in afterhaving become loose.

The invention also consists of certain parts and details andcombinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter, andthen pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to behad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis speciiication, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a side elevation of theimprovenient. Fig. 2 is an. edge viewof the saine. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a pair of spikes as applied,the rail and sleeper being in section; and Figs. 4, 5, and 6 areperspective views of modiiied forms of the improvement.

A spike holds by the elasticity of the iibers of the sleeper immediatelyadjoining it. Atter a certain length of time these fibers lose theirelasticity, and the hole made by the spike is enlarged permanently, sothat the spike becomes loose and will finally work out. In order to givethe spike a new hold in the sleeper, it becomes necessary to force itagainst a new set of elastic iibers, and it this cannot be done thespike becomes useless and must be withdrawn and discarded. To avoid thisand to permit of a progressing tightening of the spike in case itbecomes loose is the object of the invention presently to be described.

The spike A is provided with a shank B, pointed at its lower end andhaving a head O, one side D of which is formed with a beveled edge, inwhich are cut a series of notches E E E2 E3 E4, duc., as many asdesired. The side F opposite the side D is formed with a plain bevel, asis plainly shown in the di'awings, the bevel preferably commencingsomewhat below that of the side D, as is plainly indicated in Fig. l.The shank B of the spike may be plain, as illustrated in Figs. l, 2, and3; or it may be provided with steps, as shown in Fig. 5, or with ridgesor flanges, as illustrated in Fig. 4, or provided with grooves, as shownin Fig. G.

In order to hold the rail G on the wooden sleeper or tie H, the spike Bis driven into the sleeper in the usual manner, but so that the firstnotch or step E engages the edge of the base of the rail G, as plainlyshown in Fig. 2. Now when the spike becomes loose in the course ot' timethe operator drives the spike B again, so that the shank is caused tocome in contact with new iibers in the wooden sleeper H, and at the sametime the next following step F. engages the edge of the base of therail. By this means the spike B is again securely held in place as itsshank is in contact with new iibers ot the sleeper, and at, the sametime the beveled outer side F of the head of the spike securely pressesthe new step E in contact with the edge ot' the base of the rail. Thisoperation of progressively driving the spike can be repeated as often asthe spike becomes loose, so that the rail can be always held securely inplace on the sleeper H.

It is understood that when spikes such as shown in Figs. 4, 5, and G aredriven the bers, by their elasticity, always surround,v

1. A railroad-spike provided with a head steps or notches, substantiallyas shown and having a beveled side and provided with a. described.

series of steps adapted to successively engage NVAL'IER J. HAMMOND. theedges of the base of the rail when the JOHN GORDON. 5 spike is furtherdriven after having become Vitnesses for XVaJiter J Hammond:

loose, substantially as shown and described. EDUARD G. HYSARD,

2. Arailroadspike comprisingashzmk and F. H. CHALK. e head formed on thesaid shank and having Witnesses for John Gordon: two oppositely-errangedbeveled sides, one of THEO. G. I-IOSTER,

1o the seid sides being provided with aseries of C. SEDGWICK.

